[Starman]

One thing I couldn't stand at all about the last TL was the massive chrome "tooth" front grill. It was outrageously over "toothed". I thought I could live with the more conservative version our TLX has but it grates on me some times. Has anyone figured out a way to minimize this? I was thinking that I might be able to take it off and have a powder coat shop color match it to my dark gray color (try to keep the center Acura logo silver it looks like it may come off). What do you guys think? Do you think a good powder coat would work with the damage that that grill takes over time (rock chips) and such?

 

[Amnesia]

Might be a risk with the rock chips like you say depending on where you live (here in Canada we get a fair few!)
I did see a TLX in a dealership that had a carbon fiber finish that looked pretty sharp, so a wrap would probably look good and be more 'stone' resistant.
This is something a lot of people do.

The current one is a lot better than the robot chicken beak of yesteryear!

 

[ugpo]

I know there is a 3M coating with black that you can put on it while still showing the silver Acura logo but not sure what all colors it comes in. It peels off when you don't want it or want to change coats.

 

[bkhann]

Does anyone know what the coating is called and where to get it? I assume that this is some sort of protective tape.

 

[dwinnie]

Does anyone know what the coating is called and where to get it? I assume that this is some sort of protective tape.

I think you're referring to Paint Protective Film (or PPF) sometimes generically called ClearBra. There are a number of companies that make the kits, I used Xpel on my TLX, but there are a half dozen or so companies that make kits that are pre-cut for the vehicle. The kits are generally installed by detailers (usually the same people that do window tinting), but you have to make sure you have a good one that stands behind their installation.

If you have a TLX Advance (or Elite), you can't use the PPF on the chrome part of the bumper. The CMBS radar sensor is behind the chrome trim and Acura has said covering the chrome trim PPF (or even Powder Coating it according to my dealer) will interfere with the radar for the CMBS.

 

[explicit_tl]

Opti-Coat is also another paint protecting compound which is highly recommended for new vehicle as it's best to apply on a vehicle which has paint in flawless condition, since you will be sealing in what ever is already their when the product is applied.

 

[willy18]

I would definitely get the grille wrapped or painted. I don't think you would get it powder coated since it's probably plastic. Here's a black TLX with a wrapped grille I saw at a dealership. It looks much better to me but I would personally paint match it.

http://www.tlxforums.com/forum/new-2015-acura-tlx-pictures/2770-finally-saw-tlx.html

 

[explicit_tl]

thankfully these days we have plasti dip.
when it comes to the day i do something like that, i think i'll end up plasti dipping it to mock up the look and then after maybe wrap it or keep the plasti on.

 

[andre12dbsi]

I agree. Plasti-dip definitely lets you get a good idea of how it would look before making it permanent. If you don't like it, just peal it off.

 

[timbocool]

I think you're referring to Paint Protective Film (or PPF) sometimes generically called ClearBra. There are a number of companies that make the kits, I used Xpel on my TLX, but there are a half dozen or so companies that make kits that are pre-cut for the vehicle. The kits are generally installed by detailers (usually the same people that do window tinting), but you have to make sure you have a good one that stands behind their installation.

If you have a TLX Advance (or Elite), you can't use the PPF on the chrome part of the bumper. The CMBS radar sensor is behind the chrome trim and Acura has said covering the chrome trim PPF (or even Powder Coating it according to my dealer) will interfere with the radar for the CMBS.

I'm thinking of having the Xpel Ultimate Clear Bra done on my car and just wondering what your impressions are of this material and if it changes the appearance of the paint?

 

[dwinnie]

I'm thinking of having the Xpel Ultimate Clear Bra done on my car and just wondering what your impressions are of this material and if it changes the appearance of the paint?

I have it on both my MDX (installed in May '14) and the TLX and I really don't notice it unless you are less than 2-3' from the car and catch the light just right. You don't see a difference in the finish or color of the paint, but you can catch the line in the hood because I didn't get the full hood for the TLX, only the first 20" or so where you're likely to get more rock chips. The full hood was something like $600 more just for the material, so I opted for the partial hood.

As you might suspect, the critical part of the installation is the installer and how familiar they are with installing it. You might want to check the Xpel web site and look for a factory trained installer. My detailer has a number of local awards and the TLX SH-AWD Advance is probably the least expensive car he works on.

One thing my detailer pointed out to me is it's usually better to get the factory pre-cut kits so the installer isn't using the bulk rolls and making his own kits, it might cost a little more, but you're going to have a factory finished edge. You can get different kits and they're all shown on the Xpel site. I don't know about the other products they make, but I got the Ultimate Protection Film installed.

 

[timbocool]

I have it on both my MDX (installed in May '14) and the TLX and I really don't notice it unless you are less than 2-3' from the car and catch the light just right. You don't see a difference in the finish or color of the paint, but you can catch the line in the hood because I didn't get the full hood for the TLX, only the first 20" or so where you're likely to get more rock chips. The full hood was something like $600 more just for the material, so I opted for the partial hood.

As you might suspect, the critical part of the installation is the installer and how familiar they are with installing it. You might want to check the Xpel web site and look for a factory trained installer. My detailer has a number of local awards and the TLX SH-AWD Advance is probably the least expensive car he works on.

One thing my detailer pointed out to me is it's usually better to get the factory pre-cut kits so the installer isn't using the bulk rolls and making his own kits, it might cost a little more, but you're going to have a factory finished edge. You can get different kits and they're all shown on the Xpel site. I don't know about the other products they make, but I got the Ultimate Protection Film installed.

Thanks for the info, I stopped at a detailer today. I live in the Boston area and the detailer I went to was ranked #9 in the US by Autoweek, he has an incredible reputation. Judging by the Corvettes, Mercedes, Porsches etc he was working on my TLX was an econobox in comparison. He was in the middle of doing the hood of a Porsche so I did see the material. He quoted me full hood, bumper, partial fenders, headlights and mirrors plus Opti-coat for the rest of the car for $1,600 YIKES!!!! Not sure if the Ministress of Finance (wife) will approve this.

 

[dwinnie]

Thanks for the info, I stopped at a detailer today. I live in the Boston area and the detailer I went to was ranked #9 in the US by Autoweek, he has an incredible reputation. Judging by the Corvettes, Mercedes, Porsches etc he was working on my TLX was an econobox in comparison. He was in the middle of doing the hood of a Porsche so I did see the material. He quoted me full hood, bumper, partial fenders, headlights and mirrors plus Opti-coat for the rest of the car for $1,600 YIKES!!!! Not sure if the Ministress of Finance (wife) will approve this.

I was planning of doing the full hood too until he told me the price and explained that there really wasn't too much difference in the coverage because the from 20" are going to be where the pebbles and rocks are going to hit. So I opted for the partial hood, partial fenders, mirrors, door cups, bumper, and Door Edges (more for the passengers than me, I'd crawl through the window before I'd open my door on to another car).

The total for my job came to $1075.00, plus window tinting. He's been voted #1 Detailer in Indy for the last 2 years, so I felt very comfortable with him doing it, plus he did Xpel on my wife's MDX previously. Based on my quote (and I compared his quote on the MDX to other detailers and they were all close to the same), I'd say your guy gave you a pretty fair deal for all that he'd be doing.